Drew and Cat Jeglinski, Little Joy Coffee Bar and Wine Shop
Find a little joy in a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.
Guests: Drew and Cat Jeglinski, Co-Founders Little Joy Coffee Bar and Wine Shop
Based: Del Mar, CA
Online: www.littlejoydelmar.com • @littlejoydelmar
What they drink:
Cat: Cortado in the morning, white Rosé in the afternoon, and dark reds after dark. Drew: Espresso and for wine he looks to Cat to ask “What should we get?”
Listen/Watch on: Spotify • YouTube
The sun was just beginning to make its slow descent toward the Pacific when I arrived at Little Joy. Sunsets are never guaranteed during Marine Layer season, but luck was with me for this show’s first on-location interview. I was using a different recording set-up, new mics, and operating in a space I didn’t control or understand.
I was nervous. More so than I hoped to was apparent to Drew and Cat. The technical side of this business isn’t my first focus. I dragged those skills along, but after 13 seasons of mostly interviewing guests virtually, I was confronted with a wave of nerves to have the guests right there!
Thankfully, the Founders behind Little Joy were charming and coherent. As a podcast host, that is one of the nicest compliments I can give! They welcomed me into their space, which is, in fact, little, but in the best way. The coffee shop is on the street side. From the sidewalk, you walk down into and through what feels like a vintage conversation pit from ’70s era architecture to the entrance, which is wide open. There is enough room for a person and a medium-sized dog to order and a table of coffee and merch.
Around the corner is the wine shop. A few shelves of curated wines grace the wall, and there is room for casual seating and conversation, a wine cooler for the chilled wines, and a picture window directing your gaze to the sea. It’s quite a lovely vibe. That my visit coincided with the setting sun was merely a happy accident.
Cat and Drew Jeglinski exemplify the small business owner. The work is long. The work is hard. The work is…
The work is its own reward. As long as opening the doors brings them joy, even little moments of joy, they’ll keep bringing together the neighbors and visitors who find themselves in Del Mar, CA.
INTERMISSION: SEASON 14
This show is all about learning. I learned a lot in our first on-location episode, and I can’t thank Drew and Cat enough for being so kind as to be my guinea pigs. I’ll take a lot of this with me into Season 14, which will be nearly entirely filmed on-location. We’re currently taking the long way to SCA Expo* and will be recording several episodes at the convention, and then the remainder of the season will be filmed during our Free Coffee Tour. Check it out.
Free Coffee Tour: June 2025
WHO: Me. I’m Ryan Woldt, the host of the Coffee People podcast. I’m taking the show on the road. What better way to spend my free time than having a cup of coffee with you?
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE POD
Things I learned about shooting on-location
The actual video image on the camera is tighter than what I can see on the display! I was very nervous to lead an in-person interview.
I need to move my mic away from my beard.
Don’t set up by the refrigerator.
Sunsets are nice. It’s one reason we kept this episode in full color!
Négrette is a type of grape grown in the southwest of France that makes a heckuva red wine.
Little Joy is named after a band which is named after a bar and is an exemplification of an espresso in a demitasse glass. Coffee is a little joy.
The hand drawn branding is a reflection of the DIY small business ethos. They were assisted by the people they know in coffee. Shout out to Sarah for the logo! The ship in a bottle is a nod to the family history.
Little Joy started as a Drew’s purchased a coffee cart from his boss at Zumbar Steve Rayle. The brick-and-mortar location is across the street from the original cart.
There are a lot of challenges that operating coffee cart presents. Just being outside can be brutal, even in San Diego County! Drew used a lot of sunscreen in the five years he had the cart. There is daily stocking, DIY maintenance and the labor is manual. Even passing traffic is a stressor, but the space allowed Little Joy to stay small and nimble and get to know their customer’s needs before expanding inside.
Being open every day creates consistency for the customers, but it was a trial and error effort to learn when the customer demand was consistent for craft coffee outside.
Little Joy is coffee. It is wine. But they are two separate operations. Above all it is an opportunity to connect the members of the community and share some education about two products they love.
Orange wine is a real thing. I thought it was branding on a bottle with a bit of coloring, but no!
Social media isn’t core to the brand. “We do it because we have to, right?”
"The Women's Wine Alliance empowers women wine professionals in San Diego through education, mentorship, tastings, and scholarships- education focused women’s empowerment” https://womenswinealliance.com/
Color studies over time have shown a reduction in the colors being used. This article on Arch Daily describes the study and attempts to explain why.
As a team they are charming and coherent, two prized character traits from this podcast host. Drew is infinitely quotable.
“I would never tell anyone who wanted to make money to get into coffee.”
Drew Jeglinski
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WE ARE ON YOUTUBE NOW
I’m not sure how you could have missed it. The podcast at the top is a YouTube video. Thanks for subscribing. It really will help.
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BRANDS WE USE & HAVE PARTNERED WITH*
Roastar has been crushing it for small businesses. With the current market chaos, they are a brand that understands what it means to be small and focused on the day to day of running your business. They help ensure your packaging looks fantastic, even if the costs are being cut elsewhere. Use code: R!WC for 5% off when you’re ready to order.
Please use these links. You’ll be getting a great gear AND supporting Roast! West Coast. The links below enable us to generate some affiliate revenue. As always, we don’t partner with brands we don’t use, coffee we don’t drink, or strongly recommend.
